DEAF HEALTH TALKS:

Stress Management

Student Development Center

October 12, 2011

This presentation was supported by Cooperative Agreement Number U48-DP-001910 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The findings and conclusions in this newsletter are those of the author(s) and do

not necessarily represent the official position of the CDC.

Supporters

• National Center for Deaf

Health Research (NCDHR)

• Matthew Starr and Michael McKee

• Student Life Team

So What is Stress?

• Normal response to demands of life!

• Both positive and negative situations

• “Fight or Flight” response

• Varies depending on individual

• What’s important is how you deal with it

“Stress is the condition we

experience when demands

exceed our ability to cope.”

MayoClinic.com

What are some common

stressful experiences

you have in college?

Common Stressful

Events

Eustress: Positive

• Getting into college

• Anxiety before a test

• Anxiety before first date

• Getting engaged

• Scary movie

• Excitement of roller coaster ride

• Strength before a sports game

Common Stressful

Events

Distress: Negative

• Difficult educational environment

• Overwhelming sights and sounds

• Overwhelming schedule and

obligations

• Threat of personal injury

• Death of family member

• Sleep problems

• Relationship problems

General Stress

• Everyone experiences this

• Usually resolves within short time frame

• No intervention necessarily required

Cumulative Stress

• Effects of stress builds up in your body

• Becomes more difficult to lessen

symptoms

• Physical symptoms might be more serious

• Mental suffering might be more serious

Acute Traumatic Stress

• Critical incident stress from sudden and

unexpected events

• Produces considerable psychological

distress

• A normal reaction to abnormal events

Post Traumatic Stress

• Severe stress produced by severe

psychological trauma

• Created by unresolved critical incident

stress

• Produces lasting changes

Stress

Hormones

• Cortisol – primary stress hormone

• Increases: sugars in blood & brain’s use of it, ability to repair tissues

• Decreases: immune response, digestive system, reproductive system, growth

processes

• Adrenaline (Epinephrine and Norepinephrine) – increases heart rate, blood

pressure, energy

Hubert et al. (1993)

Short

Term

Symptoms

• Dry mouth

• Cool skin, cold hands & feet

• Increased sweating

• Rapid breathing

• Faster heart rate

• Tense muscles, stress headache

• Upset stomach

• Diarrhea

• Frequent urination

Long

Term

Symptoms

• Sleep problems - insomnia

• Change in appetite

• Change in sex drive

• Aches and pains

• Prone to illness, frequent

colds

• Feelings of intense and long-

term tiredness

http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/go/mhm/2009/stress-signs

Effects of Chronic

Stress on the Body

This puts you at increased risk of numerous

health problems, including:

• Heart disease

• Sleep problems

• Digestive problems

• Depression

• Obesity

• Memory problems

• Worsening of skin conditions, such as

eczema

Unhealthy Ways of

Coping

• Smoking tobacco

• Overeating or undereating

• Social withdrawal

• Drug or alcohol abuse

• Sleeping too much

• Procrastinating

• Avoiding facing problems

• Angry outbursts

Did You

Realize?

Many addictions are linked to a stressful lifestyle, like

overeating, smoking, drinking, and drug abuse.

These are used as an escape or a temporary way but the

problem or stressor is still there!

What

Helps?

1. Relaxation

2. Regular Exercise

3. Eating Right

4. Limiting alcohol to 1 or 2 drinks a day

5. Stop smoking – tobacco is really a stimulant!

6. Cut back on caffeine – 2 to 3 cups a day is usually OK

1 cup = 8 ounces

Short

(8oz.)

Tall

(12oz.)

Grande

(16oz.)

Venti

(20oz.)

http://coffeecupnews.org/starbucks-grande/

Serenity Prayer:

God grant me the serenity

to accept the things I

cannot change;

courage to change the

things I can;

and wisdom to know the

difference.

How do you know you’re

STRESSED?

• Headaches

• Yawning

• Fiddling

• Nail biting

• Grinding teeth

• Pacing

• Over reacting

• Irrational

• Emotional

• Critical

Some Facts...

• According to the American Academy of Family

Physicians, two-thirds of office visits to family doctors are

for stress-related symptoms.

• In a recent poll, 89% of people said they had

experienced serious stress in their lives.

• A recent study indicated that stress-management

programs may reduce the risk of heart problems, including

heart attack, by up to 75% in people with heart disease.

Support

Available

RIT Counseling Center

http://www.rit.edu/studentaffairs/counseling/

Deaf Wellness Center at URMC

http://www.urmc.rochester.edu/deaf-wellness-center/

Other

Strategies

• Better time management

• Being organized with tasks

• Being realistic with expectations

• Look for the upside

• Deep breathing exercises (see

attachment!)

• Meditative exercises

o Prayer

o Leisure reading

o Socializing with supportive

friends and family

• Weight-lifting, yoga

Chair

Lower

Back

Stretch

Downward

Facing

Dog

Chair

Corpse

Pose

Knees to

Chest

Seated

Spinal

Twist

Childs

Pose

Cobra

Pose

Warrior

One

Pose

Extended

Triangle

Pose

Standing

Forward

Bend

Tree

Pose

Sukhasana

(Easy

Pose)

Progressive

Muscle

Relaxation

• Right foot

• Left foot

• Right calf

• Left calf

• Right thigh

• Left thigh

• Hips and buttocks

• Stomach

• Chest

• Back

• Right arm and hand

• Left arm and hand

• Neck and shoulders

• Face

Resources

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/stress-

symptoms/SR00008_D

http://www.helpguide.org/mental/stress_relief_med

itation_yoga_relaxation.htm

http://www.helpguide.org/mental/stress_managem

ent_relief_coping.htm

http://ehealthmd.com/library/stress/str_whatis.html

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/stress-

management/MY00435

Resources

http://www.lhj.com/health/fitness/relieve-stress-with-yoga/

http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/finder/therapeutic_focus/

t_stress

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/stress/SR00001

http://www.mentalhelp.net/poc/view_doc.php?type=doc&id=

15644

http://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/weight-

exercises-women?cat=24164&tip=24169

Canton Counseling Center

THANK YOU

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